Rarely do we, as academic support professionals, have the opportunity to spend a day with our colleagues discussing our development as professionals in this wonderful field. As stated by Ruth McKinney on our Law School Academic Support website, “Regardless of … time pressures, or maybe because of them, developing a strong sense of professional identity is a key component of a successful and personally rewarding career in this field. Developing that sense of professionalism, in turn, rests on holding realistic expectations, setting appropriate boundaries regarding time management, developing a strong network of supportive cohorts, finding mentors and seeking leadership opportunities, and staying intellectually engaged in the work that we do.”

We spend most of our year dedicating ourselves to the needs of our students, our school, and our communities. It is time to take a day just for us! The West Coast Consortium of Academic Support Professionals invites you to attend just such a day in sunny Northern California at the beautiful campus of the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento.

We will explore topics related to teaching, scholarship, and service. Specifically we will look at best practices in teaching and presenting at conferences and workshops, further developing the body of ASP scholarship, the process of developing your own piece of scholarship, service opportunities within a law school and developing as a professional in all three of these areas. We welcome your ideas if you have specific areas you would like to discuss. If you would like to be a presenter, please email a summary of your presentation idea along with your contact information and a list of your past presentations to Lisa Young at youngl@seattleu.edu. The summary should be no more than 250 words.